The present invention relates generally to an interior rearview mirror sound processing system and, more particularly, to an interior rearview mirror sound processing system including a microphone for use in receiving an audio signal within a vehicle and a digital sound processing system for providing a vocal signature signal indicative of speech detected by the vehicular microphone with an enhanced vocal content and a reduced ambient noise content.
Many vehicles today use hands-free cellular telephones or other communication devices to avoid problems which may arise when a driver of a vehicle has to hold a telephone while driving the vehicle. These hand-free devices include a microphone to receive an audio signal from within the vehicle. It is known to include directional or polar microphones in these devices, which constrain the area covered by the microphone to an area where voices would typically originate, such as a driver""s head area. In certain applications, these microphones are implemented in an interior rearview mirror, such that the microphone is positioned in front of the driver and at approximately the same level as the head of the driver. However, the location of the mirror may be at a distance which is beyond the optimal operative range of the microphone, due to the forward slant of the windshield away from the driver and the location at which the mirror is mounted thereto. Furthermore, rearview mirrors are adjustable to account for different sized drivers, which may result in the microphone being directed away from the head of the driver or other occupants, and thus receiving other noises from within the cabin of the vehicle.
An additional issue with known mirror-mounted microphones (such as interior rearview mirror assemblies with a microphone located within the movable mirror housing and/or the mirror mounting bracket, such as a header mounting bracket) is that typically, audio or communication devices in vehicles are optional. Accordingly, separate mirror housings and wiring bundles or harnesses are required to accommodate the standard mirror and the optional mirror which includes the microphone or other accessories such as a vehicle alarm status indicator. This leads to a proliferation of parts within the vehicle assembly plants, which further results in increased costs to the vehicle.
Many vehicles which offer hands-free communication devices mount the microphones in a headliner console rearward of the windshield and along the ceiling of the interior cabin of the vehicle. By mounting the microphones in the headliner console, the microphones may be in a substantially fixed position and directed toward the driver head area within the vehicle. However, this positions the microphone substantially above the driver where it may not optimally pick up the voice signal of the driver, since the driver""s voice is directed generally forwardly while the driver continues to view the roadway, while the microphone is directed generally downwardly from the ceiling. Furthermore, locating the microphones in a headliner console adds to the vehicle costs, due to additional installation processes and more costly parts, such as additional ceiling trim, console components and the like. Also, locating the microphone in a headliner console fails to avoid the requirement of at least two separate headliner consoles to accommodate the optional microphone verses a console without the microphone.
An additional issue with communication devices in vehicles is that when the device is in use, the user may not be certain that the message conveyed is properly received by the other party. This may be especially troublesome when the other party is an automated voice system which responds to a particular voice communication. When a remote receiving system is operating in voice recognition mode, it is particularly important that alphanumeric speech text is accurately received and interpreted by the remote party. Thus, for example, if the vehicle operator says xe2x80x9cCall Dan at extension three-five-seven-nine-sixxe2x80x9d, it is important that the remote party (which often is a computer-based machine voice recognition system that is operating in voice recognition mode) interprets this correctly and initiates the requested call, e.g., to Dan at Ext: 35796. In a vehicle environment, ambient noise from the like of traffic noise, road noise, wind noise, HVAC noise and engine noise can make it difficult for the remote party to voice recognize with clarity and accuracy the message being telecommunicated.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a microphone which may be mounted generally forwardly of the driver of the vehicle, and fixedly mounted to maintain proper orientation with respect to the driver of the vehicle. There is also a need for a vehicular mirror based sound processing system that reliably and economically receives sound inputs from the vehicle interior cabin while the vehicle is operating, that distinguishes vocal speech input from non-vocal ambient noise, and that provides an output that is characteristic of the true speech input being provided, devoid of any confusing/interfering ambient noise.
The present invention is intended to provide a vehicular sound processing system, preferably with some, and most preferably with most or all, of the system components provided as part of the interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle. The present invention also encompasses providing an indicator for a microphone or accessory module, and preferably for an indicator for a microphone mounted in, at or on an interior rearview mirror assembly to comprise part of an interior rearview mirror system. The microphone or accessory module preferably mounts along an upper, inner edge of the windshield of a vehicle to direct the microphone, which is preferably a polar or directional microphone, generally downwardly and rearwardly toward the driver of the vehicle, and most preferably, towards the head of the driver, in order to best pick up vocal communication from the driver""s mouth. The indicator provides an indication signal, preferably a visual indication signal, to the user of the microphone which indicates whether the voice communication from the user is adequately being received and preferably whether the communication is adequately being discriminated from other audible inputs received by the microphone that are non-vocal. Thus, the indicator provides an indication signal that an adequately high vocal signal to audible non-vocal noise discrimination ratio is occurring. The accessory module is adaptable for use on a vehicle with a rearview mirror which is separately mounted on the interior surface of the windshield such as a button mounted rearview mirror, and may further include a wire cover extending downwardly from the module to the mounting button of the rearview mirror. The wire cover functions to cover any mirror wiring harness which may connect the rearview mirror assembly to a vehicle wiring harness, typically within the headliner of the vehicle.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an audio system for a vehicle comprises a microphone and an indicator. The vehicle has a cabin and a windshield. The microphone is operable to receive audio signals from within the cabin. The audio signals include vocal signals generated by the human voices of vehicle occupants. The indicator is operable to communicate a receiving status of the audio signals to a user of the audio system and is adapted to indicate to the driver and/or other occupants of the vehicle that a voice generated vocal signal is being appropriately received by the audio system that the microphone feeds, and that the vocal signal is being appropriately and substantially discriminated compared to other audible non-vocal signals picked up by the microphone, such as HVAC noise, wind noise, music and the like. The indicator may communicate a receiving status of the microphone and/or a receiving status of another party remote from the vehicle. Thus, the indicator operates to confirm to the driver that verbal inputs/commands/messages/sentences, as spoken by the driver have been received at the microphone and processed by the audio system with sufficient clarity and volume, such that the verbal inputs/commands/messages/ sentences have been adequately correctly received. This is of particular importance when the driver and/or occupants of the vehicle are communicating via the microphone/audio system in the vehicle via radio transmission to a receiver remote from the vehicle. Such remote receivers can provide a variety of services that are selected by and/or are dependent on clear and audible voice input received from the vehicular audio system. For example, a concierge-type service can be provided, whereby a restaurant, address, etc., listing can be provided. Also, the vehicle occupant may be voice communicating with an automatic computer based service, such as airline reservation services and the like, where the driver must select menu items through verbal input of an alphanumeric (typically a number) input. Lack of clarity and/or volume and/or the presence of noise may lead to an incorrect selection at the remote receiving party, unbeknownst to the vehicle based driver and/or occupant. The indicator of the present invention thus provides to the driver and/or occupants of the vehicle an indication that verbal input to the audio system in the vehicle is being adequately correctly received by the audio system in the vehicle and/or, more preferably, is being adequately received after transmission to the remote receiver. Thus, by having an adequately clear reception by the remote receiver external to the vehicle confirmed back to the vehicular audio system, and by having this indicated to the driver and/or other occupants by the indicator of the present invention, protection is provided against inadequate communication, even caused by interference during the transmission from the vehicle to the remote receiver or receiving party.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an accessory module comprises at least one microphone for receiving audio signals from within a cabin of a vehicle, at least one indicator, and a housing for mounting the microphone. The vehicle includes a windshield, an interior rearview mirror mounted to an interior surface of the windshield, and a headliner extending along an upper edge of the windshield. The indicator is operable to communicate a receiving status of the audio signals to a user of the audio system. The housing for the microphone is preferably mountable between the headliner and the rearview mirror. The microphone and indicator of the accessory module (and any other accessory housed within the accessory module) are electronically connectable to a vehicle wiring within the headliner. Preferably, accessories, such as the microphone and the indicator, are detachably connectable to the vehicle wiring, such as by a plug and socket connector (for example, a multi-pin electrical plug and socket connector system), so that the module can be optionally installed to the vehicle with ease. This is particularly advantageous in circumstances when the interior mirror is a non-electrical mirror, such as a base prismatic mirror.
In one form, the rearview mirror is electronically connected to the vehicle wiring harness. Preferably, the accessory module further includes a wire cover to encase a wire harness between the rearview mirror and the accessory module. More preferably, the microphone, indicator and mirror are connectable with the vehicle wiring in the headliner.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an accessory module for a vehicle comprises at least one microphone for receiving audio signals from within a cabin of the vehicle, a microphone housing for mounting the microphone, and an interior rearview mirror assembly. The vehicle includes a windshield and a headliner extending along an upper, inner edge of the windshield. The microphone is electronically connectable to a vehicle wiring harness within the headliner. The microphone housing is mountable to the windshield adjacent to the headliner. The mirror assembly includes a mirror wire harness and a mirror housing. The mirror wire harness is electronically connectable to the vehicle wiring harness in the headliner. An indicator may be provided for the audio system to communicate an audio signal receiving status to a user of the audio system.
In one form, the mirror assembly further includes a mounting button for mounting the mirror assembly to an interior surface of the windshield. The mounting button may be interconnected to the microphone housing via a wire cover extending between the microphone housing and the mounting button and at least partially encasing the mirror wire harness and/or the mounting button itself. The indicator may be mounted on at least one of the accessory module, the mirror housing, a module/pod attached to the mounting button, and the mounting button.
In another form, the microphone housing includes a mirror mounting arm which extends generally downwardly therefrom. The mirror housing is pivotally interconnected to a lower end of the mounting arm. The mirror wire harness is at least partially encased within the mounting arm.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an indicator for a microphone or accessory module for use with an audio system, such as a hands-free cellular telephone, audio recording device, emergency communication device or the like. The indicator provides a signal to a user of the audio system which communicates whether a human vocal audio signal being received by the audio system is above a threshold level and/or is at least substantially discriminated from other audible noise, so that the vocal signal to non-vocal audible signals received by the audio system from the microphone exceeds a predetermined threshold ratio. Preferably, this ratio is at least 2:1. Most preferably, this ratio is at least 10:1. The microphone and indicator may be mounted in the vehicle cabin, and preferably is mounted as part of the interior rearview mirror system. The accessory module may contain the microphone and/or the indicator and is preferably mounted above the mirror between the mirror and the headliner of the vehicle, which provides a fixed location of the microphone for maintaining proper orientation of the microphone with respect to the vehicle interior. The indicator may be mounted at the accessory module, a rearview mirror housing, behind the mirror reflector in the housing so as to illuminate through the reflector, a rearview mirror mounting portion or a headliner of the vehicle. Because the accessory module is a separate component from the mirror and headliner, additional mirror or headliner console components for mounting the microphone are not required. The present invention facilitates fewer parts in the assembly plant since the headliner and mirror assembly may be the same part regardless of whether the audio or communication device associated with the invention is to be installed within the vehicle. Furthermore, because the accessory module does not require special headliners or mirrors, the accessory module may be easily installed as an aftermarket device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an interior rearview mirror assembly is provided including at least one microphone coupled with a digital sound processor, most preferably supplied as a module comprising at least one microphone that provides an output to a microprocessor-based control that performs digital sound processing on the microphone output in order to enhance the human vocal signal received and in order to reduce any non-vocal signal components from ambient noise in the vehicle cabin.
In one form, an interior rearview mirror digital sound processing system suitable for use in a vehicle equipped with an audio system is provided comprising an interior rearview mirror assembly. The interior mirror assembly includes at least one microphone capable of producing an audio output in response to detection of vocal input. The vocal input signal has vehicle cabin noise (such as from road noise, HVAC noise, wind noise, windshield noise, traffic noise engine noise etc) superimposed thereon. The interior mirror assembly further includes a digital sound processor. The digital sound processor receives a signal indicative of the microphone audio output; and the digital signal processor processes the signal indicative of the microphone audio output and provides an output vocal signal with substantially reduced vehicle cabin noise
These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of this invention will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.